Mr Forster was most recently head of General Motors, Europe, where he looked after Opel/Vauxhall, Saab and the European activities of Chevrolet. He stepped down from this role after criticising GM for shelvig a bid from Magna International and Sberbank to take over the Opel/Vauxhall operations.

He has previously spent 13 years at BMW, where he held various positions including that of managing director of BMW South Africa and was also on the managing board of BMW responsible for manufacturing.

Commenting on the appointment, Ratan N Tata, chairman, Tata Sons and Tata Motors, said: 'Tata Motors expects that Mr Forster's induction will greatly facilitate its ambition towards being a truly international company.'